Combination baler and mower



Sept. 29, 1936. R. TALLMAN ET AL COMBINATION BALER AND MOWER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 25, 1935 P 1936- L. R. 'TALLMAN ET AL 2,055,677

COMBINATION BALER 'AND MQWER Filed April 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVERTER.

MAJWM WLW.

L. F Em.

A'r'rvs.

Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES COMBINATION BALEB AND MOWER muem'ranmmmdaentryn'rauman,

- Shelbyvillanl.

Application m :5, 19:5, Serial No. 18,19:

.2 cu (oi. sa-zs) without stopping the cutting operation.

' a high stubble.

The stubble portion represents the straw which An additional object is to provide a combined baler and mower mechanism adapted to continuously cut plant fibres and conveyor devices adapted to feed the same into the baler in successive separated portions.

A further object is to provide a combined baler and mower mechanism as aforesaid in which the plant fibres are fed 'to the baler in successive separated portions, said mechanism includin manual control means whereby the size oi. the portions is optionally regulated.

Other and additional objects will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly fragmented, showing the general arrangement of elements;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational sectional view taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental sectional view showing detail of control mechanism to be described;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental detail view showing parts a to be explained, taken from line 4-4 in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a side elevational sectional view taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a iragmental detail view showing parts to be explained, taken from line 8-8 in Fig. 1. Before proceeding with the description it may be in order to note that in harvesting certain farm crops, for example, wheat and oats, modern methods include the use of well known harvesting machines known as- "combines.

For the sake of efliciency in harvesting such crops the cutters of the combine are set to crop oil only the tops or heads of the plants, leaving was produced incidental to former harvesting and threshing methods, wherein the grain stalks were out close to the ground.

- Since the straw left standing in the fields, after harvesting with a combine, is a valuble commodity, it has been found profitable to harvest the straw in a separate operation. We now provide a combined mower and baler which may be drawn through a field of stubble to cut and bale the same, ready for market, in a single operation, whereby a valuable crop no'w extensively 5 wasted, may be economically harvested and sold.

While straw is herein used as an example of a crop to be cut and baled, we do not wish to infer that the utility of our device is limited to the harvesting of any particular type of crop and 10 we intend it to be usedfor harvesting any material which it may be desirable to cut and bale in the field.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 disclose our invention as generally comprising a mower mechanism Ill supported upon the frame structure H of an inclined conveyor l2which is adapted to receive straw cut by the mower and transport the same to an elevated cross feed con-' veyor mechanism l3 which is arranged to transport the straw into a baler mechanism l4. Baler mechanisms of the type used are thought sufliciently well known to obviate detail illustration and descriptionherein further than to say that its frame structure is carried upon a shaft l6 mounted for transport on a pair of wheels l1, only one of which is shown. Mechanism for operating the plunger head of the baler, not shown, includes a pitm an l8 connected to the head and connected with the driving mechanism by means of a pin disposedbetween a pair of gears l9 which are driven by pinions 20 which mayin turn be driven through a power take-off mechanism 2| operated by an associated tractor not shown, or by an independeut power plant mounted upon the baler frame.

The mower l0 comprises the conventional cutter and sickle mechanism attached to the. lower end of the frame structure ll of conveyor i2 as shown. 4o

Conveyor l2 comprises a supporting frame structure designated ll, carrying upper and low-' or shafts 22 and 23.

Shafts 22 and 23 carry pulleys which in turn carry a belt member 24, provided with transverse slats 25.

The frame structure of conveyor I2 is supported at its upper end by means of a pivotal connection at 26 upon the frame structure of the cross feed conveyor l3 and at its lower, outboard and partly by ground wheels 21 mounted pon the frame structure by means of a shaft 8 supported in bracket members 29. The ground wheels support only a portion of the weight of the structure, only a sufllcient portion P to insure firm contact with the ground whereby to hold the cutter mechanism properly spaced therefrom so that the cutter mechanism may follow the contour of the field with fidelity.

The principal portion of the weight is resiliently supported upon shaft M5 by means of a mechanism including an outwardly directed arm 30 connected with the frame structure by means of a link mechanism 3i.

The arm 30 is affixed to a hub structure 52 which is supported on shaft H5. The hub structure also carries an upright arm to which is attached a spring 33, anchored upon the cross feed conveyor structure by means of a threaded bar 34 terminating in a crank 35 by means of whichframe members 36 and 31 and a bottom member 38.

The inner end of the structure is supported upon the baler frame structure and the outer end is supported upon shaft i6 by means of a brace member 39.

The structure carries shafts 40 and 4i to which are affixed pulleys 42 carrying a belt 43 provided with transverse slats 44. At the inner end of the conveyor, and disposed over the baler is a hopperlike structure-45 adapted to guide straw ejected from the conveyor into the baler. The arrangement is best shown in Fig. 5.

Driving means for the several elements is provided through a control unit 46 which is supported upon the baler frame structure. This unit comprises a pinion 41 meshing with one of the gears l9 through which power for driving the cutter-conveyor mechanism is transmitted.

Pinion 41 has driving connection with a gear 48 which is meshed with oppositely disposed gears 49 and 50 which in turn mesh with a fourth gear 5|.

Gear 5| is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 5! journalled in the frame structure of the unit and the shaft carries a keyed clutch member 5!" which has dentures in the face of its hub adapted to engage similar dentures formed in the face of the hub of gear 5| whereby to establish driving connection between shaft 5| and the gear.

Shaft 5i carries a sprocket 52 and a crank 62.

Sprocket 52 has driving connection, through a chain 53, with a sprocket 54 afiixed to conveyor shaft 22.

Crank 62 carries one end of a connecting rod 63, the opposite end of which is connected to one arm of a. bell crank 54 pivotally supported upon the frame structure of conveyor l2 by means of a bracket fixture 65.

The other arm of bell crank 64 is connected with the sickle member of the mower III.

The shaft 55, upon which gears 49 and 5B are rotatably mounted, has driving connection through a breakable connection 56, with a shaft 51 carrying a sprocket 58. A chain 59 connects the latter sprocket with a sprocket 50 afiixed to shaft 40 of the cross feed conveyor.

Gears 49 and 50 are rotatably mounted upon shaft 55 and have denture portions formed on their inner facesand shaft 55 carries a clutch member- 6! between the gears in a slidably keyed of gears 49 and 50, whereby to cause rotation of shaft 55 in unison with the engaged gear.

Clutching mechanisms of the type above described and their operative means are thought sufficiently well known to obviate detail description herein. It is considered sufficient to note that the clutches of the control unit are made manually operable from a remote station on the opposite side of the baler through a bar 55 which is connected, through a shaft 66 mounted on the baler frame, with a handle 5W. By means of the handle an operator is capable of controlling the mechanism of the control unit.

In operation the apparatus is drawn through a field with the power source operating and gears 4t, 49, 5t and 5i inrotation.

The mower ill and conveyor 02 are placed in operation by means of adjustment of clutch 5!" whereby the mower cuts the straw, which falls upon belt 26 and is transported upwardly to discharge onto cross feed conveyor is.

By means of selective positioning of clutch 56 the cross feed conveyor is normally driven in direction to transport the straw toward the baler, the hopper structure 45 assisting the straw properly to fall into the baler.

It is well known that in the work of balin it becomes necessary to interrupt the stream of straw falling into the baler for the purpose of inserting a separating block so as to separate the straw into portions to form bales of suitable size.

To interrupt the movement of the stream as noted we provide that the direction of travel of the cross feed conveyor may be reversed whereby the stream falling from conveyor I2 is transported in direction away from the baler, by which means the continuity of the stream is broken. Since the time required to insert a block as noted is usually short, the time during which the conveyor is operated in reverse direction is correspondingly short, and immediately after the block is inserted the conveyor is caused to resume forward travel.

To accomplish the reversal noted, we provide the clutch mechanism 66. It will be apparent that the clutch, operated by handle 517, may be operated to cause rotation of shaft 51 in either direction. When the operator desires to insert a block, he operates handle 61 to move clutch 66 into position for reverse rotation, places the.

near the ground, a cutter mechanism disposed in front of the second conveyor adapted to cut hay which falls upon the second conveyor to be transported thereby to the first conveyor, a power mechanism on the baler, a power distributing mechanism driven thereby, driving connection between the power distributing mechanism and said conveyors, the power distributing mechanism having its elements arranged so as to be capable of driving said first conveyor in reverse directions independently of the second conveyor and mower and manual means controlling said distributing mechanism.

2. A cutting and feeding device for portable bale-rs comprising a conveyor having one end disposed to discharge into a baler, a. second conveyor having one end disposed to discharge into the first conveyor and its opposite end supported near the ground, a cutter mechanism disposed in front of the second conveyor adapted to cut hay which falls uponthe second conveyor to be transported thereby to the first conveyor, a power mechanism on the baler, a power distributing mechanism driven thereby, connection between thepower distributing mechanism and said conveyors and cutter and manual means on the baler controlling the distributing mechanism'to cause reverse operation of the first conveyor independently of the second conveyor and mower.

LESLIE R. 'lALLMAN.

GENTRY L. TALLMAN. 

